Jericho hits his stride in new villain role

WWE has done a good job of shaking up the roster and altering the sports entertainment landscape since last month's draft.

C.M. Punk continues to be the surprising underdog champ, Kane appears to be getting closer to donning his old mask, and Vince McMahon has taken a well-deserved respite from the camera.

Even the 54-year-old Tony Atlas has resurfaced after a lengthy absence as the heel manager, no less, of Mark Henry.

By far, though, the most intriguing angle on WWE television has been the amazing interplay between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. Jericho, who started slowly upon his return to the company last year, has picked up steam in his latest role as a villain seeking to "cleanse" the wrestling business of the Heartbreak Kid, who remains one of the top workers and characters in the industry.

In the case of these two veterans, it's been more about the story than the match, which should be the blueprint for any good wrestling program. There hasn't been a better storyteller since Ric Flair, or a better seller in the ring since Ricky Steamboat, than Michaels. At age 43, he continues to put on a clinic each time he steps inside the squared circle. Six years younger at 37, Jericho has again hit his stride after taking a couple years off from the business to pursue other interests and recharge his batteries.

Jericho defeated Michaels at last Sunday's Great American Bash due to a rare ref stoppage because of blood. Although Jericho claimed Michaels' career is over after HBK suffered a "detached retina," a rematch looks almost certain for Summer Slam next month.

Few workers in the business today could pull off what these two ring generals have in recent weeks. The fact that Jericho has long considered Michaels his favorite wrestler of all time makes the program that much more enjoyable. Michaels' history — from pill-popping prima donna to born-again Christian — has given Jericho plenty of material to draw from.

--The Sandman was literally a smash at a recent party in Yonkers, N.Y., celebrating legendary wrestling manager Capt. Lou Albano's 75th birthday.

Jim Fullington, better known as The Sandman in wrestling circles, left the drunken brawl in an ambulance and woke up in a jail after being arrested following a bottle-hurling melee in a suburban New York restaurant.

Fullington, who had joined about 150 friends for the daylong gathering, reportedly went into a blind rage during an altercation with the owner of the establishment. Reports say the owner, in an attempt to subdue the "loud and belligerent" wrestler, shattered a beer bottle in his face.

Sources say a bloodied Fullington flung glasses from a tray at employees in the kitchen area. When officers arrived, with guns drawn, the rowdy wrestler resisted arrest and throwing glasses at them, with two officers suffering cuts on the hands and arms. They were later treated for glass wounds and "exposure to blood."

Five officers, a SWAT unit and an ambulance had to be called to stop the brawl.

Fullington, 45, was charged with second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, second-degree reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. He was taken to jail for psychiatric evaluation.

"It was unbelievable — I've never seen anything like it," one party guest told the New York Post. "If you didn't know better, you'd think the whole thing had been staged."

Kami Albano, Albano's niece, told the Post that Fullington's camp may file a complaint against restaurant owner Ralph "TJ" Tarone.

"The fight was both their faults, and TJ should have been arrested, too, " she said. The owner, she said, "ignored" her requests to stem the tide of alcohol at the bash.

"Around 4:30, I went to him and asked him to please stop serving drinks to Sandman, as well as a few other guys who'd had a lot," said Albano. "I also went to the bartender and asked that anyone who was drinking hard liquor be cut off. "They ignored our wishes."

Fullington spent four nights in the Westchester County jail before being released Thursday on $10,000 bail. The wrestler had pleaded for leniency and told the judge he needed to get home to Pennsylvania because his girlfriend is expected to give birth in the next few weeks.

Public records show Fullington has done jail time, and has DUI and reckless-driving charges in his home state of Pennsylvania, along with traffic charges in California. A Yonkers City Court judge previously had denied him bail due to two felony convictions for burglaries in Pennsylvania to which he pleaded guilty in 1983 when he was 20.

A beer-chugging cult favorite and five-time champion in the original ECW promotion, Fullington joined WWE in 2005, but was released from his contract last September following an incident on a plane while returning from a tour of South Africa.

--The returning Undertaker will meet Edge in a Hell in a Cell match at Summer Slam. Triple H is scheduled to defend his WWE heavyweight title against Great Khali on the same bill.

--It wouldn't be a normal week without news from the Hogan camp. The latest headline-grabber is Brooke Hogan, Hulk's 20-year-old daughter, dropping hints that she might pose for Playboy.

The pop singer, who is starring in her own reality show on VH1 titled "Brooke Knows Best," previously posed in a men's magazine in 2006 when she appeared on the cover of FHM in a bikini. Hogan reps say "no decision has been made at this time."

She also apologized for claims she made about her father Hulk abusing her mother. She confirmed to People magazine that she signed an affidavit accusing her dad, real name Terry Bollea, of abusing his wife Linda. Brooke, however, later asked for the document not to be filed and regretted the decision.

"I did it under significant pressure from my mother," she said. "It was only after I learned all the facts that I realized I made a big mistake in signing it," said Brooke, who is now living with her father and is not on speaking terms with her mother.

Her brother Nick, who is serving time in jail for reckless driving, turns 18 today and is expected to move to the Pinellas County adult jail for the remainder of his sentence. Her 48-year-old mother, who filed for divorce last November, is dating a 19-year-old classmate of Brooke's.

--Ricky Steamboat Jr., son of the legendary Ricky Steamboat (Richard Blood), will compete in his first pro wrestling main event when he meets the masked Mr. Florida on an independent show Aug. 9 in Mooresville, N.C. Young Steamboat, last seen by wrestling fans as a youngster accompanying his dad to the ring a number of years ago, is being trained by George South — who, coincidentally, looks a lot like Mr. Florida.

Steamboat has been drawing rave reviews for his ring work and looks like a possible addition to the WWE ranks within the next couple of years. The elder Steamboat, now a producer with WWE, also will make an appearance on the Mooresville show.

--Ric Flair's new DVD debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Recreational Sports Top 10 listings. The Rock's DVD followed at No. 2.

--WWE diva Mickie James will appear on a roller derby-themed episode of USA network's "Psych" on Sept. 6

--Former WWE diva Stacy Keibler has been cast in the new ABC series "Samurai Girl." The series is based on young adult novels regarding a Japanese teen who learns that her father is the head of the Japanese Yakuza.

Keibler is scheduled to portray the lead character's rival and the former fiancee of the lead's love interest. The show will premiere in September.